Title: Darwin the Man and his Journey


external image darwin.jpg


Author: Bob Rakovic
Grade Level: 9th
Course: Biology

Purpose of Unit

  • Understand how Charles Darwin used the scientific process to develop the theory of evolution.
  • Become familiar with the main events of Darwin's voyage.

  1. Understand the importance of geographic distribution and geographic isolation on the formation of new species
  2. Understand how living things can change over a period of time and how these changes can increase the chances of their survival



Learning Performances and Standards

Learning Standard
LS3 - Groups of organisms show evidence of change over time (structures, behaviors, and biochemistry).
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the degree of genetic relationships among organisms by …

6a using given data (diagrams, charts, narratives, etc.) and advances in technology to explain how our understanding of genetic variation has developed over time.

What Student Needs to Understand

Probable Misconceptions


  • Berthelsen, B. (1999). Students Naïve Conceptions in Life Science. MSTA Journal, 44(1) (Spring’99), pp. 13-19. http://www.msta-mich.org
    1. Students have difficulty relating an individuals adaptation to environment with changes in species phenotypes over long period of time due to selection.
    2. Students believe that transmitted characteristics are acquired during the life time of the animal.
    3. Individuals can adapt to a changing environment. These adaptations are heritable.


Outline, Concept Map, or other Graphical Representation of the Concepts Addressed Evolution01.jpg





Lesson Sequence
20 minutes
Introduction: What do "survival of the fittest', a giraffe's neck and Charles Darwin have in common?
How do we know evolution happened?
Overview of the lessons use graphic organizer to illustrate what we will be doing in this unit.
The Evolution of Homer Simpson
What do you know about evolution (as I teach in a Catholic school be aware of some of the controversy and that some of the students might have strong feelings about the topic), What do you want learn?

20 minutes
Darwin: the man and his use of scientific principles
Powerpoint
Darwin

7 minutes
Reflect on the presentation,
Homework Darwin Explore the site ( Scavenger hunt)




Assessment Plan

Describe how you will assess your students' understanding of the unit's learning goals throughout the unit. These assessments should include formative assessments, e.g. questions that you ask that probe probable misconceptions, embedded assessments, e.g. activity artifacts, and summative assessments, e.g. tests and quizzes. Note: You are encouraged to use the assessment developed in class in this section.

Rationale

VERY IMPORTANT: Your rationale should focus on the following questions: How did you make the topic meaningful for students? How did you make use of inquiry? What are the ways in which you assessed student learning? How did you take account of students' prior experiences and knowledge? How will you sequence lessons so that they support the understanding of the learning outcomes? How will you help students make sense of the materials? Please make use of class readings and discussions in writing your rationale. The rationale is important because it serves as evidence that you are thinking about the unit like a teacher, i.e. going beyond "writing plans" to thinking about how you are going to engage your students with a topic in a way that builds over two or three weeks.